distance on full tank vs gauge

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Nashoba

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2015
Posts
179
Reaction score
127
Location
South Central Oklahoma
I'm pretty bad about filling up too often, but I come from the 1/2 fill up generation. When it is down to 1/2 tank, unless I am on the road doing a long trip, at least a couple hundred miles, I will fill up at 1/2 tank. The habit came from my younger days when gas was $0.19 a gallon you could fill up for $5.00 or less most of the time. Sometimes we would get bad gas (water in it) because the State did not check tanks for contamination much back then, so we bought gas at different stations all the time so as not to get too much water in the tank. However, my wife never fills up till the light comes on and she has about 2.5 gallons left in the Tahoe. If you run it down this low all the time, I'd recommend you put a can of Berryman's B12 Chemtool through the tank once a month to take care of any water than be in the bottom of your tank. I do that to the Tahoe, and every two months for the Silverado.
 

Wambliokiye

Full Access Member
Joined
May 3, 2018
Posts
186
Reaction score
120
Location
Reno, NV
So how close are the fuel gauge and the digital read out? Is it accurete? Or is the gauge and digital read out off? Do the different octane mess with sensors? I run 89 and just once I hit 415 mile fuel range on read out and gauge read full. Every other time it only hit max 389 miles and why when I fill its never the same read out? Always differs. I don't hot rod her, don't aggressively accelerate hardly use the A/C. She's a 6.2, kon nali xl awd, on 24s. At the 1/4 Mark per gauge, but digital read says "low fuel range" or 50 miles left. Can I use a octane or fuel treatment to clean the injectors, rails and lines? Dose the system need to be reset if so how? I kinda feel like my 7.4 BB burb lifted 20" with 35s got better.
 

Nashoba

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2015
Posts
179
Reaction score
127
Location
South Central Oklahoma
I can only assume you used a tuner to reset the computer for the 22" rims and got the right tire specs entered and reprogrammed. It does not sound like you have made the change? To answer another part of your question, I hardly ever rely on the computer for how much fuel I have remaining. The Tahoe will show 100 miles to go and then the low fuel light comes on ten miles later. It will also be stuck on 530 + miles for maybe 100 miles before it begins to move down. The analog gauge is far more accurate as far as I am concerned.
 
Last edited:

swathdiver

Full Access Member
Joined
May 18, 2017
Posts
19,104
Reaction score
25,037
Location
Treasure Coast, Florida
So how close are the fuel gauge and the digital read out? Is it accurete? Or is the gauge and digital read out off? Do the different octane mess with sensors? I run 89 and just once I hit 415 mile fuel range on read out and gauge read full. Every other time it only hit max 389 miles and why when I fill its never the same read out? Always differs. I don't hot rod her, don't aggressively accelerate hardly use the A/C. She's a 6.2, kon nali xl awd, on 24s. At the 1/4 Mark per gauge, but digital read says "low fuel range" or 50 miles left. Can I use a octane or fuel treatment to clean the injectors, rails and lines? Dose the system need to be reset if so how? I kinda feel like my 7.4 BB burb lifted 20" with 35s got better.

At 1/4 tank the XL has about 11 gallons of fuel left. When the light comes on it has about 3.8 gallons left.

You can clean the injectors with those little bottles of fuel-injector cleaner from Walmart under the Super-Tech name. 6 oz bottles treats 22 gallons. I doubled it the first time. Only do this on gasoline, not while burning E85. No need to reset after doing so. Are the gauges accurate, if they're working properly, more or less yes. I calculate by hand and by computer and they are within tenths or hundreds of a point often. See if your Denali gets better mileage on 93 over 89. If it's cheap enough and available try E85.

I can only assume you used a tuner to reset the computer for the 22" rims and got the right tire specs entered and reprogrammed.

We don't have to reprogram for taller tires as there are wheel speed sensors at each corner that determine speed.
 

Nashoba

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2015
Posts
179
Reaction score
127
Location
South Central Oklahoma
I haven't had to do recalibration since 2004. I have been left behind.

The tires on the 2015 Silverado were so close to the 20" tires that came on the truck in circumference that, according to my GPS unit, the speedometer did not need to be reset. But maybe they have the speed sensors in 2015???
 

Wambliokiye

Full Access Member
Joined
May 3, 2018
Posts
186
Reaction score
120
Location
Reno, NV
At 1/4 tank the XL has about 11 gallons of fuel left. When the light comes on it has about 3.8 gallons left.

You can clean the injectors with those little bottles of fuel-injector cleaner from Walmart under the Super-Tech name. 6 oz bottles treats 22 gallons. I doubled it the first time. Only do this on gasoline, not while burning E85. No need to reset after doing so. Are the gauges accurate, if they're working properly, more or less yes. I calculate by hand and by computer and they are within tenths or hundreds of a point often. See if your Denali gets better mileage on 93 over 89. If it's cheap enough and available try E85.



We don't have to reprogram for taller tires as there are wheel speed sensors at each corner that determine speed.

Thanks ! I will have to try this. E85 ! Where would I find that? I have not seen that at any of the gas stations I got to. I only go to the top tier stations and run 91. Its what the book (manual) told me to do. Because the damage it will do to plastic and rubber?!?! Is this tru?
 

swathdiver

Full Access Member
Joined
May 18, 2017
Posts
19,104
Reaction score
25,037
Location
Treasure Coast, Florida
Thanks ! I will have to try this. E85 ! Where would I find that? I have not seen that at any of the gas stations I got to. I only go to the top tier stations and run 91. Its what the book (manual) told me to do. Because the damage it will do to plastic and rubber?!?! Is this tru?

I forget the year of your Denali, if it is 2009 or newer it will have a Flex Fuel engine, the L92 was not. Get the GasBuddy app for your phone and you can see who has the best prices and find if there are any E85 stations in your area. E85 will not harm your engine, but if it was not made for E85, it will not have the computer tables to make best use of it. Stick with gasoline then.
 

Wambliokiye

Full Access Member
Joined
May 3, 2018
Posts
186
Reaction score
120
Location
Reno, NV
I forget the year of your Denali, if it is 2009 or newer it will have a Flex Fuel engine, the L92 was not. Get the GasBuddy app for your phone and you can see who has the best prices and find if there are any E85 stations in your area. E85 will not harm your engine, but if it was not made for E85, it will not have the computer tables to make best use of it. Stick with gasoline then.

She is an 07. Gasbuddy App, so can I update the computer programming or is it that the motor just cant take it? If thats the case could I just change out the fuel system? Like the pump and injectors so I can use E85 or would it just be burnt cash. I appreciate all the knowledge being shared.
 

swathdiver

Full Access Member
Joined
May 18, 2017
Posts
19,104
Reaction score
25,037
Location
Treasure Coast, Florida
She is an 07. Gasbuddy App, so can I update the computer programming or is it that the motor just cant take it? If thats the case could I just change out the fuel system? Like the pump and injectors so I can use E85 or would it just be burnt cash. I appreciate all the knowledge being shared.

I do not know if the E85 tables are in your engine's computer. That's something to check out. If they are, then I reckon all you need to do is put on the fuel injectors from the L9H. You might be better served by posing these questions over at the performancetrucks forum.
 

Nashoba

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2015
Posts
179
Reaction score
127
Location
South Central Oklahoma
I have gone to only real regular gas, no ethanol at all. Am paying about six to seven cents a gallon for the real stuff but I have found a local chain that covers almost 100 miles in diameter from us and there is no ethanol in any of their fuel. That pretty well meshes with where I operate so I can maintain the no ethanol policy I am trying to maintain. I am not recommending it to anyone, just doing it for myself.
 
Top